Aching Back

JACK NICKLAUS plans to get his aching back examined to find out what's been keeping him off the golf course, and the results could determine whether he plays competitively again. Nicklaus will be examined Monday in West Palm Beach to see if he needs surgery. He said that he would quit if the problem can't be corrected. The back has bothered him before, but apparently has grown worse in recent years. Nicklaus, 48, said if his back allows him to continue playing he is interested only in the main PGA tour, although he will be eligible in two years for the PGA Senior Tour.

Acute back pain hurts both employees and employers: It affects approximately half of all working-age people in the United States and causes annual productivity losses of $20 billion to $50 billion, according to a recent study by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Sore backs, a $30 billion-a-year problem in the United States, can be aggravated by something as simple as how you drive. ''Experiments have shown that the vibrations caused by driving 65 miles an hour on certain types of pavement can place tremendous stress on the lower back,'' said Malcolm Pope, Ph.D., of the University of Vermont. However, he adds, there are way to ease the pain and help avoid injury:Don't lift heavy loads immediately after driving or riding in a vehicle for a long period of time.

NEW YORK -- My neighbor Bill Fidelo gingerly lowered himself into a chair in my office one day in the spring. "I hurt my back," he said. "It's been three weeks, and I'm just starting to get back to normal." Fidelo, a garden designer in Brooklyn, had been standing with one foot on a ladder while reaching up to untwine a vine from a wire when something snapped. To many gardeners, his story may sound familiar. The last expected frost of winter or the cooler temperatures in the fall are like a gun at the starting gate.

Weekends spent working around the house too often result in weekdays spent with an aching back. To avoid the strain, follow these tips from the Dazey Corp. and Susan Johnson, occupational therapist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago:-- Mind your body: Remember to lift objects using your legs for power, not your back. Use a wide leg stance for your base, face the object and keep it close to you.-- Take care with tools: Push rather than pull tools whenever possible. Many hedge and lawn trimmers have extensions, and paint rollers with screw-in handles eliminate back-contorting stretches to reach ceilings.

The Lambada Workout (Goodtimes, 30 minutes, $9.95): An aerobic workout tape uses the lambada as the basis of an exercise program.- Pat Boone Hits the Road: The RV Video Guide (Paramount, 53 minutes, $19.95): The former '50s singing idol offers tips on how to get the most out of your recreational vehicle.- No More Aching Back - Dr. Root's 15-Minute-a-Day Program for a Healthy Back (Random House, 60 minutes, $29.95): Chevy Chase joins Dr. Leon Root, orthopedic surgeon and co-author of Oh, My Aching Back!

Reder, who used legally obtained cocaine as a painkiller to treat celebrities, died Sunday in New York of heart failure. He was 92. Using cocaine he got through pharmaceutical companies, Reder inserted swabs soaked with a solution that was 13 percent cocaine through his patients' nostrils to a nerve center. He said the doses were too small to cause addiction. Reder treated singer Sonny Bono, who claimed his sciatica was cured; former New York Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford, who said it relieved his sore shoulder; and comedian David Brenner, who said the treatment eased his aching back.

Some people will do anything to get relief from an aching back. A doctor in Daly City, Calif., writing in today's New England Journal of Medicine, says one of his patients has been flying upside-down in an open-cockpit biplane to get temporary relief from a low-grade ache in his back. The patient, a retired airline pilot, uses a seat belt and shoulder harness to keep from falling out of the plane. One problem with the therapy, said Dr. Robert S. Hoffman, is that the plane's engine stalls after about 10 seconds of upside-down flight and the pilot has to go into a dive to restart the plane.

TIRED OF that aching back? Simple changes in the way you sit or stand - and a healthy dose of daily exercise - may help ease the pain. MetLife, the insurance company, is offering a free booklet outlining the steps to take to prevent backache. While sitting, for example, keep back straight, shoulders relaxed, knees slightly lower than hips and feet on the floor. And standing: Pull up with the abdominal muscles and avoid locking your knees. Women should wear heels no higher than an inch; high heels force the back out of alignment.

PHOENIX -- If you want to know how the Orlando Magic are doing, well, proceed to read at your own risk: Tracy McGrady sat out Wednesday's practice. He walked gingerly and wore shower sandals instead of gym shoes. It's his aching back -- again. McGrady says he will play tonight, but the Magic are wondering just how effective he'll be against the Phoenix Suns. As if riding a 10-game losing streak and recovering from the firing of Doc Rivers isn't torture enough, the Magic (1-10) must deal with T-Mac's trick back.

Millions of Americans suffer with chronic lower back pain caused by ruptured, herniated or deteriorating discs. Although painkillers and exercise help most people, about 200,000 a year must resort to spinal fusion, a complicated procedure with a lengthy recovery. Even then, some spines become stiff, causing the patient to lose mobility. But soon people with severe pain may have an alternative: an artificial disc. First devised in 1984 by two German orthopedic surgeons, the prosthesis, known as the SB Charite Artificial Disc, has been available in Canada, Europe, Asia and Latin America for more than a decade and implanted in more than 5,000 people worldwide.

Eric Scott can't drive, stand or sit in the same position for long without the back pain that he still endures from an injury months ago. It keeps him up at night, prevents him from swinging his two daughters around and haunts every moment with the possibility of pain. He wonders how Orlando Magic shooting guard Tracy McGrady keeps playing with a strained lower back. "I can't imagine what he's going through," said Scott, 30, a service technician with Florida Hospital Orlando who delivers oxygen equipment to homes.

HAMPTON, Ga. - To understand how Mark Martin has felt this year, just watch him maneuver through the NASCAR garage.He walks slowly, deliberately and downright awkwardly. He leans slightly to his right side and then a bit backward. He takes short steps and rarely smiles.But it's not necessarily because Martin is cranky. It's because his bad back is torturing him.``I can't face the rest of my life with pain like this,'' said Martin, who lives in Daytona Beach. ``Let's put it this way. It only hurts if I move.

The South Lake Rotary Club will present a dessert bake-off contest in conjunction with the Pig on the Pond event planned for Nov. 12 and 13.Bake-off entry forms are available at the South Lake Chamber of Commerce or by calling Jim Warner at (352) 429-2509 or Sid VanLandingham at (352) 242-9921 or the South Lake County Foundation at (352) 394-3818. The application deadline is Monday.Categories are cookies, cakes, fruit pies, other pies, brownies/bar cookies and miscellaneous desserts.A $50 first-place cash prize will be awarded in each category.

ALBANY, N.Y. - In case your mother hasn't reminded you recently, good posture is still important - especially for adults.``The No. 1 cause of neck and back pain is poor posture,'' said Janice Novak, a Minnesota-based health education consultant and author of a new book, Posture, Get it Straight!Today's sedentary lifestyle often aggravates many poor-posture problems. With many people spending eight or more hours at a desk every day, typing at computers and answering the phone, it's easier than ever to slump and slouch.

Chris Webber spent two weeks resting his aching back - for this?The Sacramento Kings' star forward has been to the playoffs three times with three teams but has yet to win a postseason game. He fell to 0-7 with the Kings' 117-87 thrashing courtesy of the Utah Jazz on Saturday, the worst playoff loss in the club's 51-year history.Webber, Sacramento's leading scorer and rebounder, got into early foul trouble and wasn't a factor as the Jazz cruised. After missing five critical late-season games while resting a sprained joint in his back, Webber didn't enjoy getting crowned in his Kings postseason debut.

Do's and don'ts for back care from Dr. August A. White III, author of Your Aching Back: A Doctor's Guide to Relief.DO- Sit in a chair, preferably with arms, that maintains the natural curves of the spine. To get in and out of a seat, scoot to the edge and use your legs; don't use your back to lift up your body.- Learn the art of getting out of bed safely. Roll over onto your side and use your arms and legs, not your back, to pull yourself up.- Take precautions while doing chores. When ironing or washing dishes, put one foot on a stool or the base of a cabinet to relieve pressure on the spine.

Chris Webber spent two weeks resting his aching back - for this?The Sacramento Kings' star forward has been to the playoffs three times with three teams but has yet to win a postseason game. He fell to 0-7 with the Kings' 117-87 thrashing courtesy of the Utah Jazz on Saturday, the worst playoff loss in the club's 51-year history.Webber, Sacramento's leading scorer and rebounder, got into early foul trouble and wasn't a factor as the Jazz cruised. After missing five critical late-season games while resting a sprained joint in his back, Webber didn't enjoy getting crowned in his Kings postseason debut.

Take two doctors and a lawyer, give them a show on news/talk outlet 580 AM (WDBO) and you might expect tips on how to cure your aching back - or how to sue the doctor who failed to cure your aching back.But that's not the prescription for The Gordon Brothers Weekend Revue (7 to 9 p.m. Saturdays on WDBO), where the only relief is of the comic variety.Radiologist Doug Gordon, 34, and his attorney brother Jason Gordon, 38, both of Cocoa Beach, team with yet another brother - orthopedic surgeon Scott Gordon, 42, of Kissimmee.